Coming soon · Book Profile
Construction Mgmt Safety Program
A practical guide showing home builders and small-to-mid-size contractors how to design, implement, and enforce a comprehensive safety and total loss-control program that protects workers, ensures OSHA compliance, and improves the bottom line.
A profile of this book is on the way.
What it’s about
Construction Safety Program Manual demystifies workplace safety for the small and mid-size builder who lacks the resources to hire a dedicated safety officer. Rather than treating safety as burdensome paperwork, it frames safety as a management discipline—organized, led, and measured like cost, quality, and scheduling. The book supplies a ready-to-adapt model company safety program, step-by-step guidance for OSHA Hazard Communication compliance, plain-language summaries of the OSHA construction standards that actually cause injuries and fatalities (falls, electrocution, caught-in/between, struck-by), an OSHA inspection action plan protecting the builder's rights, and strategies for cutting insurance and workers' compensation costs. Its central argument is that leadership commitment, employee accountability, continual training, and consistent enforcement together drive down accidents—and that reduced accident frequency and severity directly reduce insurance costs and increase productivity and profit.
The through-line
- Who it’s for
- A home builder or small-to-mid-size contractor who wants to protect employees, comply with regulations, and run a profitable, reputable company.
- The problem
- Construction work is dangerous—falls, trench collapses, electrocution, and chemical hazards cause injuries, fatalities, OSHA citations, and soaring insurance costs. The builder feels overwhelmed by regulatory complexity and paperwork and fears an accident or inspection could bankrupt the company.
- The plan
- Commit to safety at the top and put a written safety policy in place.
- Designate a safety champion/coordinator responsible for the program.
- Adopt and adapt the model company safety program provided.
- Conduct regular toolbox training and orient every employee and subcontractor.
- Comply with OSHA HazCom and construction standards, focusing on the big four hazards.
- The payoff
- Fewer injuries and zero fatalities on job sites. · Reduced workers' compensation and insurance premiums. · Higher productivity and profitability.
See our guide
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Additional reading
- Construction Safety Management · Levitt, R.E. and Samelson, N.M.
Cited frequently throughout the book as a foundational text on the principles of managing safety specifically within the construction context, covering topics from management's role to cost implications.
- Construction Safety · Hinze, J.
Referenced in multiple chapters as an authoritative source on accident causation, safety performance measurement, and the specific hazards and controls relevant to the construction industry.
- Managing the Risks of Organisational Accidents · Reason, J.T.
This book is cited for its influential theories on systemic accident causation, human error, and the concept of safety culture, providing a theoretical underpinning for many of the arguments made about moving beyond blaming individuals.
- Rethinking Construction (The Egan Report) · Egan, J.
Frequently mentioned as a key driver for change in the UK construction industry, its recommendations for improving efficiency, integration, and teamwork through concepts like partnering are directly linked to creating a better culture for safety.
- Constructing the Team (The Latham Report) · Latham, M.
Cited as a landmark report that diagnosed the adversarial, conflict-ridden nature of the UK construction industry, providing the context for why new collaborative approaches like partnering are seen as essential for improving all aspects of performance, including safety.
- Application of the New Production Philosophy to Construction · Lauri Koskela (1992)
This is the seminal report that catalyzed the Lean Construction movement. The entire book is framed as a 25-year review and advancement of the ideas first presented in this paper.
- The Toyota Way · Jeffrey K. Liker (2004)
Cited frequently as the source for understanding the 14 principles of the Toyota Production System, which provides the philosophical and practical foundation for Lean thinking.
- Program Policy Manual (PPM) · Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA)
The book frequently cites the PPM as the definitive source for interpreting how MSHA standards are to be applied in practice, providing crucial context beyond the raw regulations.
- National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) National Consensus Standards · NFPA
Chapter 12 on Fire Prevention explicitly lists several NFPA standards (e.g., NFPA 10, NFPA 13) as resources for mine operators seeking further information on firefighting equipment and systems.
- Dust Control Handbook for Industrial Minerals Mining and Processing · National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
Recommended in Chapter 30 as a must-read resource for M/NM operators seeking to implement engineering controls to comply with the new Part 60 silica standard.